The 22-year-old son of former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Barry Bennett has been arrested in Cancun, Mexico, where authorities say he fled after killing his father and mother in central Minnesota.
The Todd County sheriff’s office said that Dylan Bennett was taken into custody before noon Saturday at a Cancun hotel.
The sheriff’s office said Bennett had contacted them Saturday to say he intended to surrender to the FBI, but his arrest came before Minnesota investigators could communicate that information to Mexican authorities.
The sheriff’s office said an international extradition was being arranged.
Bennett is accused of shooting his parents multiple times earlier this week, killing them, then driving out of state and boarding a flight to Mexico, according to criminal charges filed Friday in Todd County District Court.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant and were searching for Bennett, who is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, without premeditation, in connection with the deaths of Barry and Carol Bennett, both 63.
Their bodies were found Wednesday in their home near Long Prairie, a small town about two hours northwest of the Twin Cities.
Authorities believe the Bennetts were killed Monday. The complaint said Carol Bennett, who would’ve been 64 on Thursday, was shot multiple times in the back and torso. Barry Bennett was shot multiple times in the torso and head.
Dylan Bennett’s car was found at the home, with an empty box for a 9mm handgun and a box for ammunition inside. Carol Bennett’s car was missing.
According to the criminal complaint, Barry Bennett told the Todd County sheriff’s office in December that Dylan had expressed thoughts about killing his parents while he was in a mental health treatment facility.
The criminal complaint outlines how authorities tracked Dylan Bennett’s movements in recent days.
Barry Bennett was seen Monday in Long Prairie at about noon; earlier Monday, Dylan Bennett was seen driving his car during a bank transaction in which a large sum of cash was withdrawn from the Bennetts’ account, the complaint said.
Carol Bennett’s credit and debit cards were used in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Her car was found in Columbus, Ohio; Dylan Bennett had a plane ticket for a flight from Columbus to Cancun.
Authorities believe Dylan Bennett was in Mexico on Thursday, based on phone, credit card and ATM use.
Barry Bennett, who was raised in St. Paul and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, played 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, the New York Jets and the Vikings.
He had retired from teaching physical education in Long Prairie, a town of about 3,500 people.
Jim Christopherson, Bennett’s coach at Concordia from 1974 to 1978, said the Bennetts raised four children and adopted two, including Dylan, who he said had just graduated from Bemidji State University and had found a job in China.
